Become a Wilderness Explorer at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Guests at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will soon have the chance to become Wilderness Explorers, experiencing the park in a way that will deepen their understanding of animals and our natural world.

This new experience is geared toward guests ages 7-10, but it’ll be fun for the whole family as kids take the official Wilderness Explorer pledge and then use field guides while they tour the park at their own pace. Participants will earn sticker badges as they complete challenges. Explorers are encouraged to get “up close and personal” with the park’s animal inhabitants.

Another addition to the Animal Kingdom is the new “headquarters” for Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse – Adventurer’s Outpost on Discovery Island. This new “meet and greet” location opens May 12, and will be filled with photos and other mementos from Mickey and Minnie’s world travels. Visitors are encouraged to share stories of their own Animal Kingdom adventures when they visit Mickey and Minnie.

And for a little more adventure at the Animal Kingdom, runners will be lacing up their shoes and facing new challenges when the Expedition Everest Challenge happens on May 4. This is a nighttime runDisney event that combines a 5K obstacle run with a scavenger hunt. Runners compete as individuals or in teams of two, and everyone who finishes the race receives a Compass medal.

A new event during this year’s Expedition Everest Weekend is the Expedition Everest Family Edition where teams of six people run a short distance race and compete in a scavenger hunt at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. The Expedition Everest Challenge and the Expedition Everest Family Edition events are sold out, but there is still space to register young adventurers for the runDisney Kids Races.